58 OBSERVATIONS OX THE CAUSES OF ELEVATION, ETC. 



oceans and mountain chains, I have only to observe that such 

 parallelism need notbe interpreted as cause and effect. Although, 

 if we assume original flexures on Darwin's theory, trending 

 in the present direction of these chains it is certain that if the 

 continental areas so sculptured were slowly submerged in the 

 direction of the great ocean areas, that the basal contour lines 

 of height would certainly form the barriers to the ocean 

 basins, and these of necessity would produce the parallelism 

 referred to — i.e., the downward sinking of the land would better 

 explain the parallelism observed than the reference to pressure 

 from the direction of the ocean, whether from its bed or its 

 superficial waters. I think, therefore, that good reasons have 

 been given for rejecting the theory put forward by Mr 

 Danvers-Power. 



